I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in the well-known "drip" or filter coffee making apparatuses and, in particular, to a coffee maker having a separate flow path for reheating coffee.
II. Description of the Prior Art and Prior Art Statement
In the past a wide variety of different types of coffee making apparatuses has been developed and used, the most common form of which is the type wherein the coffee beverage is prepared by contacting ground and roasted coffee beans constrained into a brewing basket with water at a temperature slightly below the boiling point of water. The trend toward the use of mixes which make it easy to prepare instantly beverages which formerly required cooking and brewing has resulted in a demand for appliances which boil water quickly and easily. Some of the first and least expensive appliances of this type involve emersion heaters which are merely inserted into a cup or small vessel to heat the contents. Such appliances are hazardous in that if they are not used with considerable care, there is a danger of receiving an electric shock or of burning oneself in handling the exposed heating element. Other more sophisticated appliances for heating and boiling liquids consist of electrified teakettles which are nothing more than teakettles with built-in electrical heating elements. While such appliances could quickly heat quantities of liquid more sufficiently and more rapidly than similar vessels used in connection with burner or heating elements of the stove, they generally were expensive and unappealing to the user, since they offer very little advantage over the use of the stove.
A variety of improved apparatuses for making drip-type coffee has been disclosed in the prior art which overcomes many of the aforementioned difficulties. Examples of such prior art apparatuses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,926,234; 3,878,360; 3,835,295; 4,039,771; 4,147,097 and 4,287,817. Each of these patents are relevant to the present invention in that they illustrate apparatuses for heating water in preparation for brewing coffee. Certain of these apparatuses disclose a provision for merely heating hot water and delivering the hot water independent of the brewing system. None of the aforementioned prior art, however, provide a simple and efficient means for reheating a single cup of coffee which the user has permitted to cool. None of the aforementioned prior art discloses an apparatus which reheats a cup of coffee through a conduit which is separate from the main fluid carrying conduit.
The aforementioned prior art in the opinion of applicant and applicant's attorney represents the most relevant art of which applicant and his attorney are aware.